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Written Question
Gulf Strategy Unit
Wednesday 19th October 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Gulf Strategy Unit's remit is; and which Government Minister set that remit.

Answered by Ben Gummer

The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team was established in 2015.

Its remit is to coordinate the Government’s strategic approach to UK engagement with the Gulf States as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

It employs three full-time and one part-time Government employees. One is military and three are civilian.

Administration costs were £70,004 in the 2015-16 financial year and the budget for administration costs in the 2016-17 financial year is £423,000. The 2015-16 figure reflects the fact the unit was established later in the financial year.


Written Question
Gulf Strategy Unit
Wednesday 19th October 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) military and (b) civilian Government employees have been employed in the Gulf Strategy Unit in each of the last 15 years.

Answered by Ben Gummer

The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team was established in 2015.

Its remit is to coordinate the Government’s strategic approach to UK engagement with the Gulf States as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

It employs three full-time and one part-time Government employees. One is military and three are civilian.

Administration costs were £70,004 in the 2015-16 financial year and the budget for administration costs in the 2016-17 financial year is £423,000. The 2015-16 figure reflects the fact the unit was established later in the financial year.


Written Question
Civil Servants
Monday 10th October 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is his Department's policy to reduce the overall civil service headcount in the current Parliament.

Answered by Ben Gummer

There is no central Cabinet Office policy to reduce the overall Civil Service headcount in the current Parliament. Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their own spending agreements with HM Treasury for this Parliament and are responsible for ensuring they have the right workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments.

Earlier this year, departments published their Single Departmental Plans, setting out the key programmes of work required to deliver the Government’s Manifesto commitments. Departments have been developing plans to ensure they have the workforce required to deliver their Single Departmental Plans.


Written Question
Civil Servants
Monday 10th October 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an estimate of overall headcount and spending on civil servants across all Departments over the next five years.

Answered by Ben Gummer

Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their own spending agreement with HM Treasury for this Parliament and are responsible for ensuring they have the right workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments.

Earlier this year, departments published their Single Departmental Plans, setting out the key programmes of work required to deliver the Government’s Manifesto commitments. Departments have been developing plans to ensure they have the workforce required to deliver their Single Departmental Plans.

The Civil Service constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. Cabinet Office is working with all departments across the Civil Service to better understand their capacity and capability requirements over this Parliament following the decision to exit the EU, but it is too early to make a detailed assessment at this stage.


Written Question
Civil Servants
Thursday 8th September 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to change the staff headcount across the Civil Service in each of the next four years; and what the projected expenditure on staff is in that time period.

Answered by Ben Gummer

Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their own spending agreements with HM Treasury for this Parliament and are responsible for ensuring they have the right workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments.

Earlier this year, departments published their Single Departmental Plans, setting out the key programmes of work required to deliver the Government’s Manifesto commitments. Departments have been developing plans to ensure they have the workforce capacity and capability required to deliver their Single Departmental Plans.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2016
UK's Nuclear Deterrent

"May I say at the outset that I was a multilateralist during the cold war? I supported the balance of terror in Europe, I have never been a member of CND and, indeed, once the atom was split we could not unmake it. But the world has changed, and that …..."
Roger Godsiff - View Speech

View all Roger Godsiff (Lab - Birmingham, Hall Green) contributions to the debate on: UK's Nuclear Deterrent

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2016
UK's Nuclear Deterrent

"The UK leases the missiles from America, where they are made, maintained and tested. Our four submarines have to go to the American naval base in Georgia to have the missiles fitted. That is a fact. It is of course said by those who support renewal that we have “operational …..."
Roger Godsiff - View Speech

View all Roger Godsiff (Lab - Birmingham, Hall Green) contributions to the debate on: UK's Nuclear Deterrent

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2016
UK's Nuclear Deterrent

"I have debated these issues with the right hon. Gentleman on a number of occasions and I respect what he says, but I just do not agree with him.

The second argument put forward is that if the UK did not have nuclear weapons, it would, somehow, lose its place …..."

Roger Godsiff - View Speech

View all Roger Godsiff (Lab - Birmingham, Hall Green) contributions to the debate on: UK's Nuclear Deterrent

Written Question
Prime Minister: Correspondence
Monday 4th July 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to respond to the letter on Syria from Medics Under Fire which was delivered to 10 Downing Street on 20 May 2016.

Answered by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton

A reply has been sent.
Written Question
Anti-corruption Summit
Monday 11th April 2016

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, whether representatives of the UK's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories will be invited to the anti-corruption summit in May.

Answered by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Illford South (Mr Gapes) during my Oral Statement today.